Many articles are made up of plastic parts. The various plastic parts of such assemblies are joined together using many different techniques. Some processes for bonding plastic parts together involve heating the parts so that the desired portions of the parts reach a temperature at which they melt and bond together.
One technique for bonding plastic parts together is laser welding, wherein objects to be joined have different levels of light transmission at the wavelength of the laser being used. One part is at least partially transparent to the wavelength of the laser light and the other part absorbs the laser light. Surfaces to be joined are brought together and a laser beam is directed at the proper location of the relatively transparent object such that it passes through the first object and irradiates the second object, causing the first and second objects to be welded together.